Guard for valves



March 24, 1925.

W. C. CREDLE GUARD FOR VALVES Filed Aug 6, 1924 C'redfe v R ado-Hwy:

Patented Mar. 24, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

WALTER G. CREDLE, FAIRFIECLD, NORTH CAROLINA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO BENJAMIN T. SIMMONS, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

GUARD FOR VALVES.

I Application filed August 6, 1924. Serial No. 730,457.

I To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER C. CREnLn,

against the respectively adjacent lugs whereby the withdrawal of the pin is prea citizen of the United States, residing at vented. The lower end of each arm 9 is Fairfield, in the county of Hyde and State of North Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Guards. tor

Valves, of which the following is a speclfication. The object of my invention is to provide an inexpensive device which may be easrly applied to a valve and, when applied, Wlll prevent unauthorized opening of the same so that the contents of a tank or p1pe llne cannot be withdrawn therefrom except by properly authorized persons. The invention also seeks to provide a device for the stated purpose which may be easily ad usted to fit valve casings of different sizes and forms and also to provide such a dev ce which will prevent turning of the p1pe line to disconnect the same and thereby permit access to the supply of oil or other comrfiodity. The invention is illustrated 1n the ac companying drawing and W111 be hereinafter fully set forth.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portlon of a tank or reservoir and a pipe line leading therefrom with a controllin valve fitted in the pipe line and equippe with my 1mproved guard, and

Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the guard removed.

In the drawing, the reference numeral 1 indicates a reservoir or tank in which oil, gasoline or other liquid commodity is stored, and 2 indicates a pipe line leadlng therefrom and equipped with a cut-off valve represented conventionally at 3. In carrying out my invention, I employ a housing or casing 4 which is of proper form-t0 fit closely over the handle 5 of the valve and has a permanently closed top or upper end 6 while its lower end is open, as shown at 7, whereby it may be easily fitted over the handle and stem of the valve and rest upon the bowl or valve casing. At diametrically opposite points of the housing 4 pairs of perforated lugs 8 are formed thereon, and an arm 9 at each side of the housin has its upper end fitted between the respectlve lugs, the said upper end being formed into an eye 10 through which a pivot in 11 1s 1nserted, the ends of the pivot pm being upset formed into a laterally extending perforated lug or eye 12, the opening through which is threaded as will be readily understood on reference to Fig. '2. Below each arm 9 is a bowl-engaging plate 13 provided centrally at its upper edge with a threaded stud 14 en gaged through the opening in the respective lug oreye 12 and at the lower end of each of said clamping plates 13 is a perforated depending lug 15 which, when the device is in use, is engaged by the hasp of a padlock 16 or similar locking device. Upon reference to Fig. 2, it will be noted that the arms 9 and'the plates 13 are of arcuate formation transversely so that they may fit closely to and about the bowl of the cut-off valve so that, when the lockin device is engaged through the depending Iugs 15, the clamping plates and the arms will be secured snugly about the valve casin or bowl and the housing 4 will be secured in contact with the upper side of the bowl. A chain 17 or its equivalent is engaged with the lock '16 and is secured to some permanent part of the pipe line or the tank so that rotation of the pipe line to withdraw it from the tank will be prevented. In the present illustration, the chain is shown as wrapped about one of the legs 18 supporting the tank.

From the fore oing description, taken in connection with t e accompanying drawing, it will be seen that I have provided a very simple device which may be easily fitted about the cut-off valve and which, when applied, will prevent access to the valve so that it cannot be opened except by a person having the key of the lock. Unauthorized with drawal of the contents of the tank will be thereby prevented. The threaded engagement of the studs 14 with the lugs 12 permits the device to be adjusted within certain limits so that one device may be adapted for application to a number of different valves. This adjustability or extensible connection between the upper arms 9 and the lower clamping plates 13 also permits the relative adjustment of these parts so that the proper firm binding of the parts about the valve casing may be easily obtained and the parts cannot be disconnected without first removing the look so that the plates and arms may ment or rupture of some of the parts which would valve.-

Having thus described the invention, I claim:

permit removal of thegiiard from the 1. A guard for valves comprising a housing adapted to fit over the valve handle and rest upon the valve casing, arms permanently connected to the lower end of the housing at opposite sides of the same and adapted to fit over the valve easing, clamping plates adapted to bear against the lower portion of the valve casing at the opposite sides 2 thereof and connected with the said arms,

and means for locking the clamping plates together about the valve casing.

2. A- guard for valves comprising a housing adapted to fit closely over the handle I of the valve, arcuate arms pivoted to the lower end of the housing at opposite sides of the same and adapted to bear u on the upper portion of the valve casing and provided at their lower endswith laterally extending threaded lugs, arcuate clamping plates adapted to fit against this lower ortion of the valve casing, threaded studs rising from the said clamping plates and engaged through the threaded lugs at the lower ends of the arms, dependin lugs at the lower ends of the clamping plates, and a lock engaged withsaid ugs.

Infitestimony whereof I afiix my signature.

WALTER C. CREDLE. [L. 5.] 

